Correctional Officers and Jailers

Median salary

$58,940

Average salary

$63,630

Employment

380,500

Projected growth

7.8% decline

Annual openings

30,100

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Correctional Officers and Jailers Do

Guard inmates in penal or rehabilitative institutions in accordance with established regulations and procedures. May guard prisoners in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point. Includes deputy sheriffs and police who spend the majority of their time guarding prisoners in correctional institutions.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.1/5
English Languageimportance 4.0/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.8/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.5/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.5/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.4/5
Psychologyimportance 3.4/5
Administrativeimportance 3.4/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
Telephone Conversations4.8/5
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People4.8/5
Contact With Others4.7/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.6/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.5/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Psychiatric Aides96% skill match
Medical Assistants96% skill match
Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys95% skill match
Occupational Therapy Assistants95% skill match
Log Graders and Scalers95% skill match
Food Preparation Workers95% skill match
Driver/Sales Workers95% skill match
Animal Control Workers95% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
Coordinationimportance 3.5/5
Persuasionimportance 3.4/5
Negotiationimportance 3.3/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
Instructingimportance 3.0/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

3M Electronic Monitoring
Corrections housing software
Guardian RFID
Jail management software
Web browser software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Stress Tolerance
Integrity
Dependability
Self-Control
Cautiousness
Attention to Detail
Perseverance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
SocialMedium
EnterprisingMedium
InvestigativeLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where correctional officers and jailers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).